


Hunters and Mercenaries

by whooshboomtree (IttyBittyDungeonTree)



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Axl and Dynamo are best friends change my mind, Friendship, Hanging Out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22250908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IttyBittyDungeonTree/pseuds/whooshboomtree
Summary: “Are you kidding me? I’m on an official patrol and just took out multiple infected units and intercepted high-value contraband, and you expect me to wander off for a midnight snack at the house of someone who’s listed in the databases as a wanted criminal?"“So...you coming or not?”“Of course I am you idiot, lead the way.”
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36





	Hunters and Mercenaries

**Author's Note:**

> Fanfiction is actually just an exercise in taking the least-developed characters from the series and giving them way more depth and backstory than Capcom ever intended them to have. Fight me, Capcom.  
> Yes I know 95% of people don't play Megaman games for the complexity of story and character development what's your point.

Just once, just for one night, one single solitary damn night, Axl wished he could have an uneventful patrol. Just once. One time. That’s all he asked for.

Tonight certainly wasn’t that night though.

He’d been tracking the viral signal for the last twenty minutes, trailing at a careful distance so as not to give away his position. The signal was heading in an erratic pattern toward one of the seedier districts at the edge of Abel, and soon enough Axl picked up a second signal, and then a third, all positively teeming with viral signatures.

Nope, tonight certainly, definitively wasn’t going to be that night.

At last, the signals all stopped moving, and Axl seized his chance to start moving in closer, activating his Stealth Mode to cloak both his appearance and his signal and scaling up the side of a nearby building to get a bird’s-eye view. The buildings in the area were densely packed, leaving plenty of alleys to hide in- the perfect spot for shady dealings, Axl knew well. A quick glance down at the dimly-lit streets revealed little to no foot traffic, all the safer if there were no innocent civilians in the crossfire.

Especially because the closer he got, the more signals he was picking up. Six now- nope, seven. Eight, even. One hell of a rendezvous, he thought to himself sourly as he peered over the edge of the roof and down into the alley. There were four Reploids standing and talking that he could see, two more standing guard at the alley’s entrance and one standing guard behind, all of them armed with what he immediately recognized as high-caliber plasma-grade firearms. All of them putting off heavy waves of viral signals too, enough that his systems were beginning to throw so many errors that couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of the eighth signal. Not that he could be infected or anything, but it sure did mess with his scanners and give him a raging headache.

Two of the four talkers had briefcases in hand, and whatever was in them, Axl had a hunch it was far from legal. The conversation was beginning to get heated too, and Axl narrowed his eyes and settled into a sniping position, knowing that he had no time to send for backup or authorization. Sure he might get a brief scolding for acting without direct orders, but he was pretty sure he’d hear it even worse if he sat on his butt and let a group of infected units wander off into the city willy-nilly.

First things first, the guy in the back had the biggest gun, which meant he had to go.

It was almost frighteningly easy, the infected unit turning toward the sound of the bullet leaving Axl’s gun a split second before the plasma round struck the center of his forehead and sheared through his processor. The remaining units immediately turned and opened fire, but Axl had already ducked down in anticipation and was skittering across the roof in a crouch to find a new vantage point.

Two more shots in quick succession took out the briefcase-holders, a stray shot from one of the alleyway guards grazing the edge of Axl’s helmet and causing his cloaking to fizzle out. He swore quietly under his breath, vaulting over the edge of the roof and taking cover behind a dumpster. The two remaining negotiators had drawn weapons now as well, though not nearly as heavy-duty as their apparent guards, and Axl felt it both a blessing and a curse that none of the infected units seemed keen on fleeing. A blessing in that it meant he wouldn’t have to chase them down, but a curse in that it was four against one.

His proximity sensors flared, and he ducked just in time to dodge a ball of plasma firing at him from above, the shot leaving a smoking crater in the side of the building. Right. Five against one. At least he knew where the eighth one had gotten off to.

He fired a warning shot in that general direction to make his assailant back off, rapidly toggling through his pistol’s settings until he landed on his heftiest flamethrower. It probably wouldn’t kill all of them outright, he knew as he darted out from behind his cover and dropped to one knee to brace himself, but a wave of fire was usually enough to make anyone with common sense back off for a few seconds.

The two Reploids nearest to him howled in pain as flames seared over their bodies, but Axl’s proximity scanners told him the two with heavier guns had wisely ducked around the sides of the nearby buildings. No time to dwell now though as he quickly had to turn his attention back to the Reploid continuing to fire at him from above, and seeing as how he already had his weight settled for heavy weaponry he loaded up the data for his Blast Launcher and fired two grenades in an upward arc.

It wasn’t a direct hit- apparently these units were smarter than he’d given them credit for- and he ducked down and shielded his head with one arm as bits of concrete rained down on him and his weapon shrank back down into a pistol. This wasn’t great, he was really at his best when he had higher ground or at the very least room to maneuver and he had neither of those things right now. Maybe jumping down into the alley like a badass hadn't exactly been the best idea after all.

As he thought as much, a plasma bullet struck him in the crook of his elbow and caused him to drop his pistol with a yelp, followed shortly by a second hitting him in the stomach with enough force to knock him flat on his back. He rolled to one side more out of instinct than rational thought, narrowly avoiding another shot from above. Okay yeah so this really wasn’t going great, but maybe he could get his A-Trans activated before they took too many more shots at him and if he picked something powerful enough it would be easy to get back on his feet and finish this-

And before he had a chance to even begin implementing any of that, there was a blindingly bright flash and a crack of thunder, a group of lighting bolts dropping from the cloudless sky directly onto the heads of the two gunmen readying to open fire on him as well as the two still reeling from the wave of fire Axl had subjected them to. Four blackened chassis dropped to the ground with a series of dull clanks, leaving Axl to turn his attention toward the last remaining infected unit.

He reached for his pistol and started to get to his feet, only for his assailant to fire a shot at his hand that sent his pistol spinning away in the opposite direction and knocked him off balance once again. The infected unit leapt down from the roof, landing hard enough to leave a dent in the asphalt, and scooped up a heavy-looking pipe from the ground, gun still in the other hand. “That’s just rude,” Axl said with a scowl that he hoped held enough ferocity to cover his rapidly-rising desperation.

A shadow fell over the infected unit, followed by a dark blur and a flash of magenta, and a moment later the unit’s optics darkened as it slumped forward, coolant pouring from a wide, sparking gash that stretched from the back of his skull down to the base of his spine. “I’ll be damned,” Axl said, slightly breathless as his gaze traveled up over the tall, silver-haired unit looking down at him, double-bladed plasma saber in hand and fingertips still sparking with excess electricity. “You’re still alive and kicking.”

With a grunt of exertion, Axl got to his feet and retrieved his pistol, trying not to betray too much of the ache in his stomach where he’d been shot. “Though for the record,” he added, “I was totally fine and totally had the situation under control.”

“Uh-huh. Hence why you were on the ground with a gun in your face and a man with a pipe about to bash your head in and your weapon was five feet to your left instead of in your hand.”

“I would’ve figured something out.”

“You’re welcome.”

Axl rolled his eyes, trying and failing to fight a smile regardless as he strode over to crouch next to one of the briefcases and started fiddling with the lock. “Dynamo, what the hell are you even doing here?”

He sensed Dynamo’s shadow falling over his shoulder, and he turned his head to see the much taller unit leaning over him with what had to be the world’s most annoying, cockiest grin, a familiar glow of good humor in his silver eyes. “Missed you too,” Dynamo practically hummed, planting an affectionate hand on top of Axl’s head.

“Idiot,” Axl laughed, elbowing Dynamo’s arm away. “You gonna help me with this lock or what?”

Dynamo straightened up, and Axl got to his feet and handed him the briefcase. “That was a serious question by the way,” Axl added. “What are you doing here?”

“Besides saving your ass?” Dynamo said, a quick spark from his fingertips disabling the briefcase’s electronic lock.

“Besides interfering in official Maverick Hunter business, yeah.”

That earned a snort of amusement from Dynamo as he passed the briefcase to Axl and bent down to scoop up the other one and disable its lock as well. “Been tailing a few of these guys for a couple days. Was supposed to figure out where they were having their little rendezvous and intercept the cargo. You just made my job several times easier.”

“Riiiiiight.” Axl shook his head and popped open the lid of the briefcase, his half-annoyed half-amused grin quickly dropping when he saw the contents. “Whoa. These are some high-grade energy crystals.”

Dynamo gave a low whistle, having opened the second case to find similar contents. “Packed to the brim. They were planning on making some serious bank off of this.”

“Or powering some serious weaponry,” Axl muttered, snapping the briefcase shut and getting to his feet.

He looked over at Dynamo, raising an expectant eyebrow when the taller unit took a step back and raised the briefcase high over his head and well out of reach. “I’m gonna need that.”

“Ah...see, about that…”

“Dynamo…”

“Hey, my employer said to intercept the cargo, that implies I need to take at least some of it back with me.”

“Dynamo.”

“Oh come on, can’t you do an old pal a favor?”

Axl crossed his arms with a sigh, unsure if he was annoyed or warmed by the fact that Dynamo’s lazy, lopsided grin and pleading gaze were no less endearing now than they used to be back in the day. “Y’know, technically speaking, I should arrest you and drag you back with me, considering your record.”

“Oh, please,” Dynamo laughed. “You’ve barely scratched the surface of my record, kiddo.”

“In that case, would you rather I call Zero?”

“NO!”

Dynamo’s reaction was so immediate that Axl couldn’t help but laugh, earning himself a rough shove and a sparked shoulder in return. “Don’t you dare, you little brat!”

“Relax, I was kidding!” Axl giggled. “But seriously, I need to report back to HQ, get this stuff somewhere safe, and get a cleanup crew in here; those guys were practically oozing with viral activity. Speaking of which, you’re good, right?”

“I’m fine,” Dynamo said with a shrug. “You know me.”

“I know, but I’m obligated as a Hunter to check.” Dynamo always had been sturdier than most units when it came to the Virus, though Axl had never quite figured out why. “And I was serious about needing that briefcase, by the way.”

“Yeah...hey, you hungry?”

“Uh...is that a trick question? ‘Cause you know I’m a Reploid who doesn’t feel hunger, right?”

“Right, yeah, so wanna come back to my place for a bite?”

Axl blinked, almost dumbfounded that Dynamo had even asked him that to begin with, much less how quickly he’d changed the subject. “Are you kidding me?” he asked. “I’m on an official patrol and just took out multiple infected units and intercepted high-value contraband, and you expect me to wander off for a midnight snack at the house of someone who’s listed in the databases as a wanted criminal? Not to mention I’m half-convinced you’re just trying to find a way to con me into giving you the briefcase so you can make off with it.”

There was a long, awkwardly heavy pause.

“So...you coming or not?”

“Of course I am you idiot, lead the way.”

Dynamo deactivated his saber and slid it into the charge port on his lower back with a grin, still dangling the briefcase from his fingertips. “You’re too easy, kiddo.”

“You have five minutes to get your ass out of here before the cleanup crew shows up,” Axl said with a grin of his own. “For obvious reasons, I can’t be seen waltzing down the street with you, so I’ll catch up in a minute.”

“Headquarters isn’t going to whine about you wandering off?”

“As far as they know, I’m tailing one more non-infected unit who ran off during the scuffle,” Axl said, already sending the communication to HQ.

“X isn’t going to buy that for a second.”

“I’ll deal with the consequences of that.” Axl paused, raising his eyebrows expectantly. “Four minutes.”

“Right, right. Don’t get lost on the way there.” Dynamo waved, turning and quickly vaulting his way back up to the rooftops with the briefcase still in hand. Axl rolled his eyes, finishing his communication and giving Dynamo a solid two-minute head start before ducking behind the dumpster, activating his A-Trans, and then scaling his way up to the roof, his chassis now taking the appearance of a standard civilian whose data he’d copied who-knows-how-long-ago.

He caught up to Dynamo quickly enough, greeting him with a whistle he hadn’t used since his Red Alert days when he needed to tip an ally off to his position while disguised. “I see you haven’t lost your touch,” Dynamo teased. “Still in the infiltration game or what?”

“Sometimes,” Axl replied. “I’m officially part of X’s unit handling heavy infected areas and major conflicts, but Zero borrows me for stealth missions sometimes.”

“What an honor.”

“You might call it that,” Axl said, though there was no hiding the smugness in his smile. “Enough about that though, Hunter stuff is old news. What have you been up to? Where the hell have you been?”

“Oh, y’know, same old,” Dynamo said with a wave of his hand. “Laying low seeing as how I’m listed as a wanted criminal and all that.”

“And yet you’re leading law enforcement right to your house.”

“Please, you’re the last person who’s gonna rat me out.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I’m too lovable for handcuffs. Besides, you know I’m only caught when I want to be.”

"Uh-huh. I guess you had to survive this long somehow."

"You know me."

The rest of the walk passed in silence, Dynamo leading the way through the increasingly shady parts of the edge of the city until Axl half-expected to be jumped every time he turned a corner. "Jeez," he said when Dynamo finally stopped at a dingy-looking apartment complex. "Not to be rude but this place is kind of…"

"A shithole?" Dynamo said as he unlocked the door and gestured for Axl to step inside. "Sure is. Home sweet home."

The inside of the apartment was just as dull as the outside, dimly lit and sparsely decorated. A pile of discarded datapads and half-broken machines lay in one corner and a few probably-highly-illegal weapons in need of repair were tossed in another, the couch was sagging and in need of repairs of its own, and as Axl stood there and took in the rather sad sight Dynamo elbowed past him and loped across the room to collapse in an armchair that had seen better days. "Oh don't look at me that way," he snorted. "You know as well as I do that freelance mercenary work doesn't pay worth shit."

"Why not join a group?" Axl asked, taking a seat on the sagging couch.

"I don't play well with others." Dynamo sat up long enough to toss the briefcase into yet another cluttered corner before flopping back again and closing his eyes. "And wanted criminals generally aren't at the top of the 'to-hire' list. Hence…" He raised an arm, gesturing vaguely at their surroundings. "All that."

Axl frowned, Dynamo's relative nonchalance not quite managing to hide the trace of hurt in his tone. "So...you're fine with 'all that'?"

"It's a living."

"Right…" Axl rubbed the back of his neck, an awkward silence stretching for several long moments. "So...who are you working for these days anyway?"

Dynamo laughed, sitting up in his chair with a grunt and flashing Axl a familiar grin. "Oh please. You know as well as I do that information like that is on a need to know basis, little mister ex-mercenary."

"Uh-huh, and you know as well as I do that I have certain obligations as a Maverick Hunter, mister wanted criminal."

Dynamo's smile dropped, and Axl crossed his arms and fixed him with a stern, expectant stare. "For what it's worth," Dynamo said after another awkward silence, "they're not infected. And they've got no affiliations with Sigma. Never have."

"You're sure."

"Believe me, kid. I've been through enough wars to be sure."

"Is that…" The words seemed to catch in Axl's throat for a moment. "Why you stopped coming around? When I was with Red Alert?"

Dynamo started slightly and averted his gaze, and Axl found his shoulders slumping slightly. "You knew," he said. "You stopped coming around the same time Red and the guys started acting funny. You saw all the signs."

"Yeah...something like that, I guess."

"Why didn't you warn any of us?"

"It's...complicated," Dynamo sighed. "Call it self-preservation if you have to." He heaved himself to his feet, stretching his arms over his head and turning to lope into the kitchen.

Left alone with his thoughts, Axl hunched down for a moment and wrapped his arms around his stomach and screwed his eyes shut. He'd known the entire time hadn't he. And he hadn't done a damn thing. Maybe if he had said something then Sigma wouldn't have...and Red wouldn't have…

Dammit…that wasn’t fair at all, was it...

He quickly sat up again when he heard Dynamo's footsteps ambling back into the room, running a hand down his face and trying to pretend he wasn't sulking. "Seriously?" he said when Dynamo handed him a plate with a single slice of pizza on it. "You invited me all the way into the shittiest district in town for a piece of cold leftover pizza?"

"If you don't want it, I can take it back."

"Hell no," Axl said, promptly taking a bite before Dynamo could say anything else.

"So what's it like, being around the Hunters lately?" Dynamo asked as he settled back into his chair with his own slice of cold leftover pizza. "How are X and Zero holding up?"

"They're fine," Axl replied. "At least I think so. It's…" He frowned, unsure of how much he was really allowed to say. "It's complicated."

"How's that?"

"Well...it's...you know how," Axl said. "Politics and all that. It's just...complicated."

"Mm. Finding out the world's not so black and white after all, huh?"

Axl winced, the statement bringing Lumine's gloating speech on the moon directly to the forefront of his mind. "Something like that," he murmured. "I think it was just...a lot easier when it was just Sigma and the virus."

"You're telling me," Dynamo sighed.

Axl sighed too, his appetite suddenly fading even though he'd only taken a couple bites. "Dynamo?" he said, prompting a questioning grunt from the mercenary whose mouth was currently full of pizza. "How come...what drove you to work for Sigma?"

This time Dynamo was the one who flinched, and Axl imagined he was probably grateful his mouth was too stuffed to answer right away. "Eh...lotta factors, I guess," he said. "I mean, I wasn't always the badass mercenary you know and love. Once upon a time I was just a dude who worked at a power plant."

"What changed?"

"How come you're suddenly so interested in the big sad sob-story that is my life?"

Axl just shrugged, and Dynamo rolled his eyes, knowing there was no getting around that innocent, inquisitive look Axl was so good at. "Well...y'know...after the virus wiped out Red Alert, you still had somewhere to go," Dynamo said, his voice unusually quiet. "Not everyone's that lucky."

"Oh."

"Grief and loneliness make people do funny things," Dynamo said, and in spite of his casual shrug, there was no mistaking the pained, almost haunted look in his eyes. "Y'know. Like, 'why care about a world that's so intent on shitting all over people who didn't do a damn thing to deserve it'. That kinda thing."

"That...that's why...the Eurasia incident," Axl stuttered out. "X told me...I mean, I've studied it. You were…"

"Yeah. That was my grand debut as a full-blown Maverick. Granted I was mostly around to slow X and Zero down, but still."

"You're not...you're not technically Maverick though," Axl said. "You were never infected. Otherwise you wouldn't still be here."

Dynamo sighed, silence stretching long and uncomfortable between them for a few moments. "You know you're kidding yourself about that, kid. Plenty of Reploids have been called Mav that never had a trace of viral activity in their systems. Besides, I-"

"That doesn't mean it's right," Axl interrupted. "I mean, I'm not saying what you did was right either, but don't start lecturing me about what is and isn't a Maverick! I live that every damn day of my life!"

Part of him wanted to go on, but instead he shut his mouth and closed his eyes, sitting back and leaning forward to rest his head in his palms. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I shouldn’t take it out on you. It’s...it’s just...frustrating is all…”

“Yeah. I know.”

Axl just shook his head, regret making him want to go hide in a dark corner for a while and pretend the world didn’t exist. He and Dynamo hadn’t seen each other in years, they should’ve been hanging out and relaxing and catching up, and here he kept getting snappish instead…

He heard a sigh, followed by a shuffle of footsteps, but he didn’t look up, at least not until he felt something cold and metal nudge against his shoulder a moment later. “What...what’s this for?” he asked, lifting his head to see Dynamo holding out a can of orange soda and a small paper bag.

“Appealing to your raging sweet tooth is the quickest way to get you to stop sulking,” Dynamo replied. “Scoot over.”

Axl did so, peering inside the bag to find it filled with cookies- chocolate chip, naturally. The best kind. Dynamo sat down next to him with a grunt, draping a heavy arm across his shoulders. "Sorry," Axl murmured.

"S'fine. Eat your cookies."

Axl nodded mutely, deciding that at least if he had cookies in his mouth, he wouldn't have to talk for a few minutes. Besides, Dynamo wasn’t exactly wrong about food being the quickest way to placate his bad moods. "Y'know," Dynamo piped up after a while, "I talked with X once, way back. An actual civil conversation and everything."

"When was that?"

"Nightmare incident," Dynamo replied. "We got in...er, scuffles now and again, ran into each other a few times while I was out doing. Y'know. Work."

"Right...work."

"You know what I mean," Dynamo said. "Anyway, one of those times I guess we were both kind of having a bad day, so we called it a draw early and just sat there a while."

"Weren't you trying to kill him?"

"Eh...not necessarily. More like...let's say we happened to be competing for resources, in a sense. I really only got physical about it because he wasn't going to just smile and hand over what I wanted. Had to get my goods one way or another."

"Uh-huh," Axl said, still aching from where he'd been shot and truly not all that keen on the thought of possibly having to fight his old friend for possession of the two briefcases. "What'd you guys even talk about? I can't imagine you have a lot in common."

"Oh, you know, life, the universe and whatnot. Honestly…" Dynamo paused, his brow furrowing slightly. "I think the guy really just needed to sit and unload his problems on someone. He put up a fine fierce fight physically, but mentally...he was all but wiped."

He frowned, giving Axl's shoulder a light jerk before reaching over to steal a cookie. "Same look in his eyes as a couple of the looks you've given me tonight."

Axl let him have the cookie without protest, sipping idly at his can of soda and wondering if that was supposed to be Dynamo's not-so-subtle way of worrying about him. "Loser," he mumbled, closing his eyes and leaning his cheek against Dynamo's shoulder. "Quit talking all sappy like that, it's depressing."

"Since when are you allowed to call me a loser?"

"I've done that behind your back for years, you never noticed?"

"Brat," Dynamo snorted.

"Please, you know you missed me."

There was a pause, Dynamo's arm subtly tightening around Axl's shoulders. "Every damn day, kiddo," he whispered.

Axl curled a little closer, trying not to betray how much the statement made his core ache. “The world’s seriously fucked up out there,” Dynamo murmured.

“You’re telling me. Shit’s been nothing but tense since the elevator incident.”

“You think it’s ever gonna get better?”

“Mm…” Axl hummed in thought for a few moments while he finished off his soda. “I think so. I mean...if enough people keep saying it’s not right the way things are, maybe eventually someone will listen, right?”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“I didn’t say it was easy. I just mean eventually someone’s gonna come around who’s not willing to sit down and shut up. Someone who’s so in your face that people won’t have a choice but to listen.”

“That’s gonna have to be one irritatingly stubborn someone.”

“You’re telling me,” Axl laughed. “But you know me. I’d get bored if I sat back and watched the world go by.”

“You think you have a shot?”

“Maybe. I mean, I’m hardly the diplomat X is. And I know saying I had a rocky start in life is an understatement. But...well, I mean…”

“But what?”

“Almost anyone can accomplish something really big under the right circumstances, I think. And almost anyone can earn a second chance if they really mean it.”

Dynamo laughed at that, though it was easy for Axl to tell that the sound held no true joy or humor. “What?” Axl said. “I’m serious.”

“You always have been the most hopeless optimist I’ve ever met,” Dynamo said, reaching around to flick Axl’s nose playfully. “Even more than X, and that’s saying something.”

“I’m taking that as a compliment.”

“It wasn’t. Thinking like that is gonna get you stabbed in the back. What makes you think someone like me or Sigma or Lumine is redeemable?”

“Ignoring the fact that you’re the last person who’s gonna stab me in the back,” Axl said with a roll of his eyes. “I don’t mean everyone can be redeemed. It’s more like...look, you know as well as I do that I’ve had plenty of fuckups, right?”

“Sure, I saw the way you acted up as a rookie merc. Surprised Red didn’t pin you to the wall with the business end of his scythe.”

“Very funny. X says he’s surprised Zero didn’t do the same.”

Dynamo laughed for real this time, even when Axl elbowed him in the stomach in retaliation. “Point is,” Axl said, “I busted my ass trying to go from incompetent kid to full-fledged Maverick Hunter, and I made it just fine. How come someone like you can’t do the same thing?”

“Because I didn’t try to go from incompetent kid to full-fledged Maverick Hunter. I went from guy making a living at a power plant to guy who dropped a space colony on planet Earth.”

The silence that stretched after that statement was uncomfortably long and heavy, broken only by the distant wail of a siren somewhere outside. “It’s not like change is easy,” Axl finally pointed out. “I mean, everyone fucks up along the way. That just means you come back swinging harder next time, right?”

“Spare me the lecture, kid,” Dynamo sighed. “Save it for someone who needs it. Someone who matters.”

“Dynamo…”

Instead of answering, Dynamo cracked a grin, plucking Axl’s helmet off of his head and mussing up his hair roughly enough that Axl began to laugh and playfully swat at his arm. “What the hell was that for?!” Axl said, yelping indignantly when Dynamo grabbed him in a headlock. “Heyyyyy!”

“It’s been years since I’ve had the chance to mess with you, lemme get my fill,” Dynamo teased. “What, hanging around X and Zero turned you all no-nonsense no-fun-allowed?”

“Not on your life.” Seeing as how he didn’t have much of a chance of escaping the headlock, Axl gave in and went limp, resting his head comfortably against Dynamo’s chest. It had been a long time since they’d done this- painfully long. Long enough that the thought of getting up made his entire chest ache.

Dynamo must’ve felt the same, because even with Axl practically using him as a pillow, he didn’t seem to have any intentions of moving. “Be careful out there, will you kid?” Dynamo murmured. “Dunno if I can handle...well, y’know what I mean.”

“I know,” Axl said quietly. “I don’t think I can lose you again either.”

He closed his eyes, knowing that he should’ve been back to HQ an hour ago, but thinking that in the same vein he was still sore from the fight and he could really use a few more minutes to relax. He could hear the steady thrum of Dynamo’s generator near his ear, less the rhythmic corebeat of most Reploids and more a low, almost droning hum. It was familiar though. Soothingly familiar, and he was in trouble as it was so maybe resting his eyes just a little while longer wouldn’t hurt…

__________________________________________________________________________

Axl furrowed his brow when he felt warmth on his forehead, opening his eyes with a start a moment later when he realized that it was sunlight. Dynamo stirred beneath him with a groan of protest, and Axl rubbed his wrist across his eyes and sighed in dismay. “Morning,” Dynamo mumbled.

“Morning,” Axl replied, still rubbing his eyes groggily and blinking in the light of the early morning sunrise. “Jeez, X is gonna kill me…”

“Yeah, probably,” Dynamo agreed unhelpfully. “I meant to wake you after a while but I kinda fell asleep myself.”

“It’s fine.” Axl untangled himself from Dynamo’s arms and hopped to his feet, arching his back in a stretch to loosen up his servos. “I think I kinda needed that.”

“The nap, or the free food?”

“Little of both,” Axl laughed. “Seriously though, I really gotta get going.”

“Right.” Dynamo heaved himself to his feet, gathering up the empty soda can and cookie bag and used paper plates. “We should do this more often,” he called over his shoulder as he ambled into the kitchen.

“Only if you’re gonna feed me something besides your leftovers,” Axl teased. He put his helmet back on his head and grabbed both briefcases, popping one open for a moment to double-check the contents.

He snapped it shut just as Dynamo came back, grinning when the mercenary immediately fixed him with what could only be described as a pout. “Sorry, bud,” Axl said. “I’m in enough trouble as it is.”

“I know,” Dynamo sighed. “Do I at least get a hug as thanks for saving your ass?”

“You get a hug for old times’ sake,” Axl chuckled as Dynamo held out his arms hopefully. “You know damn well I could’ve saved my own ass.”

“Jeez,” Dynamo said, wrapping his arms around Axl and giving him a squeeze that was probably a little too tight for comfort. “So ungrateful.”

“Idiot,” Axl whispered. “Don’t ever change, you got that?”

“Right back at you, kiddo.”

Almost reluctantly, Dynamo let go, and Axl stepped back and scooped up a briefcase in each hand. “Hey, if X tries to kill you, you can always hide out here for a while,” Dynamo said with one of his signature grins. “I won’t tell.”

“Thanks,” Axl said with a laugh. “Stay out of trouble, will you?”

“You know me.”

Axl just rolled his eyes, starting to load the coordinates into HQ and readying his teleportation signal. “In all seriousness though, watch your back out there,” Dynamo said. “You know where to find me if you need me.”

“I know,” Axl said. “I’ll hit you up if I ever need your special brand of talent. Take care of yourself, alright?”

Dynamo just nodded, and as Axl’s teleportation system activated and the world around him started to grow blurry, he hoped that his friend would notice sooner rather than later the not-so-well-hidden blue glow tucked into the pile of half-finished machines in the corner.

He rematerialized in the hangar at Maverick Hunter headquarters, his hopes of the area being empty this early in the morning quickly dashed when he saw Zero nearby working on his ride chaser- or at least he had been working on his ride chaser until he turned to give Axl a pointed look with one eyebrow raised. “Morning,” Axl said with a grin that didn’t quite hide his sudden nervousness.

“You may as well save it,” Zero said, turning back toward his bike and resuming his work. “I’d recommend you go find X before he finds you.”

“Yeah, I’ll uh...I’m gonna go do that.” Axl turned and skittered off before Zero could change his mind, though part of him was stuck behind wondering how someone could be up to their elbows in that much grease and that many ride chaser parts and still have completely, utterly flawless hair. It was honestly just unfair, really.

Finding X was easy enough, a wireless comm sent with a request for a meeting met with a short affirmative and nothing else. A short time later, Axl was hurrying into one of the debriefing rooms with both briefcases still in hand, his core almost jumping out of his chest when he saw that X was already there, sitting at one of the tables with his hands folded and a stern but otherwise unreadable look on his face. “H-heeeeeey there, X!” Axl greeted with far too much enthusiasm. “So, uh, here’s the thing-”

“Sit, Axl.”

Yeah this wasn’t off to a great start was it.

Axl quickly did as he was told, sitting down across the table from X and setting the briefcases on the ground. “Axl,” X said, leaning forward and rubbing his forehead tiredly. “Do you mind explaining to me why you spent the entire night in the Sendal district of all places? And why the last communication you sent us just vaguely mentioned tailing a non-infected unit that had fled a scene? I’m assuming you weren’t chasing them around the city all night seeing as how your location marker stopped in a residential district and stayed in the same spot until just this morning.”

“Yeah, uh, about that. So first of all, oops, sorry, totally my bad, didn’t mean to worry you guys. I kinda...lost track of time?”

“So you weren’t tailing someone who fled the scene.”

“In all fairness I was technically following a non-infected unit and he did happen to leave that particular scene, so-”

“Axl.”

“Okay, fine!” Axl exclaimed, knowing that particular tone of voice and that look on X’s face a little too well. “I ran into an old friend and we were hanging out for a little bit and I was gonna just rest my eyes ‘cause my stomach hurt ‘cause I got shot handling the infected and then I closed my eyes and next thing I knew it was morning, I didn’t actually mean to sleep over at his place I swear!”

He paused to catch his breath, and X sighed, quite used to Axl’s complete inability to shut up when he was nervous. “Why didn’t you just say so in the first place?” X asked.

“He’s...not really the kind of guy most respectable Hunters would hang out with.”

“So he’s a mercenary.”

“Something like that. He offered me pizza.”

“Of course he did,” X sighed, rubbing his temples again. “Was he there during the incident?"

“Yeah, he showed up right as things were getting hairy. If you ask him he’d say he saved my ass, but I mean, come on. I would’ve been fine.”

“I’m sure,” X murmured. “Get yourself checked out in medical when we’re done here regardless. Briefcases were recovered from the scene, I’m assuming?”

Axl nodded, grabbing one and placing it on the table and undoing the latch. “They were doing some kind of handoff,” Axl said as X’s brow furrowed at the sight of the energy crystals. “All of them infected. Packing some heavy-duty weaponry too.”

“With funding like this, I’m not surprised,” X said.

“You’re thinking this runs deeper than just the handful I took out last night, yeah?” Axl asked. “You don’t just accidentally come across this many energy crystals and then do a secret handoff in a back alley with multiple armed guards unless you’ve got a proper organized group backing you.”

“My thoughts exactly,” X said with a slight smile. “Sometimes I forget that part of you still runs with the mind of a mercenary.”

“Eh...let’s just say some things tend to stick with you.”

Axl passed over the other briefcase, and X nodded grimly as he checked out the contents. “We’ve already been looking up records on the downed units,” X said. “Especially after seeing this, it’s likely there’s going to be a full investigation. We’ll definitely need your help, but we might be getting into some pretty seedy territory. Even with your skill at infiltration, I’m worried we might not have the right ins to get the info we need.”

“I might know someone who can help,” Axl said with a grin. “He’s an expert at not getting caught until he wants to be.”

“We’ll discuss it, but keep it under wraps for now,” X said, getting to his feet. “You know how the higher-ups are about dealing with mercenaries. Go get yourself checked out by medical, clean up, and then come see me. We’ve got a lot to do.”

“Right,” Axl said, both surprised and relieved that he apparently wasn’t in nearly as much trouble as he’d expected. “I won’t be long.”

He started to turn, only to freeze when X added, “Oh, and Axl?”

“Eh...yeah?”

“If you’re going to go hanging around someone like Dynamo, will you at least come up with a better cover story next time? And Asimov’s sake, I don't care what you tell the official reports, but at least be honest with me about why you’re hanging around the shadiest part of town so I don’t spend all night worrying about you.”

“H-hey wait a second, I never said I was with Dynamo!”

“You just did,” X pointed out, eliciting a grumble of discontent from Axl. “Besides, I had it figured. They brought the bodies back to R&D for study.” As they so often did these days with infected units in their continued struggle to find a cure for the Virus. “I’m pretty sure you don’t have any weaponry that puts out that much voltage, other than Wild Jango’s data. The saber wounds on the last guy and the fact that you said he’s a mercenary gave it away though.”

“Oh.”

“You two know each other?”

“Oh, yeah, we’ve been pals for years. He used to freelance with Red Alert back before...y’know, before Sigma came and royally fucked everything up. But he’s not causing any trouble and he’s not infected or anything, honest! At least I’m pretty sure he’s not!”

“Relax, relax,” X said with a quiet chuckle. “I’ve had tabs on him off and on for years, he’s the last person I’m worried about. Just don’t tell Zero; he can’t stand the guy.”

“Somehow I can see that, yeah.”

“And somehow I can see you two getting along like brothers,” X said. “I can’t imagine putting you, Dynamo, and Zero in the same room together. Zero might actually snap.”

“Or snap one of us in half,” Axl laughed. “It seriously doesn’t bother you though? I mean, knowing he’s still around after...after the stuff he did?”

“Not really.” X reached over to snap the briefcases shut, a strange, almost wistful look in his eyes. “The first few times we met, I would’ve just as well preferred if Zero had cut him to ribbons. But…” He frowned, his tone softening slightly. “We talked once during the Nightmare incident. Before Zero was back. He seemed...different.”

“Different how?”

“It’s...kind of difficult to say,” X replied. “He seemed...tired. Almost like he was as frustrated with the world as I was. I wasn’t...in the greatest of places mentally at the time, and it made me wonder...how far down he must’ve been driven to that he was willing to work with Sigma and almost annihilate the planet entirely. Hate can drive a person to do some pretty horrible things, I guess.”

“Y...yeah,” Axl agreed softly, yesterday’s conversation still fresh in his mind. “I guess...it kind of depends a lot on the people you have around you, huh? I mean, imagine where I might’ve ended up after the Red Alert thing if you guys hadn’t been there to pick me back up…”

“I don’t think that’s something I want to imagine.”

“Me either…”

“Anyway, as far as I know he hasn’t been bothering anyone, so I’m fine with leaving him alone,” X said. “Assuming he behaves himself.”

“Maybe even someone like Dynamo can earn a second chance if they try hard enough, huh?”

“Maybe,” X said with a smile and a slight shake of his head. “Anyway, we need to get moving. Head to medical, I’ll get these to the research department and confirm that they’re legitimate.”

“Right,” Axl said, relieved that he’d gotten off easy for taking a night off and not being entirely honest about it. “I’ll contact you in a couple hours.”

He started out of the room with a bit of a spring in his step, slowing slightly when X called after him one more time. “You should contact Zero and give him a proper explanation too, by the way,” X said. “He told me he’s already starting a tally of how many drills you owe him.”

“Geh...right, I’ll get on that,” Axl mumbled, continuing on his way with significantly less spring in each step. So much for getting off easy.

One of these days, he mused to himself, he really needed to figure out how Dynamo got away scot-free with so many of the things he did. “You know me, kiddo,” he could practically hear the mercenary teasing. “I’m only caught when I want to be.”

Maybe someday, the jerk would stop just saying that and actually teach Axl a thing or two about how. Someday, Axl thought, promising himself that he’d find a reason to go back and ask soon. Real soon.

**Author's Note:**

> If Capcom won't make an extended lorebook for these characters I'll just MAKE MY OWN I have PLENTY of headcanons to go around believe me.


End file.
